World's Best Scientists 2026 revealed!
Sallie W. Chisholm

Sallie W. Chisholm

Award Badge
Best Female Scientists
2025
Award Badge
Ecology and Evolution
USA
2026

D-Index & Metrics

Best Female Scientists

D-Index
110
Citations
48676
World Ranking
882
National Ranking
534

Ecology and Evolution

D-Index
114
Citations
50649
World Ranking
140
National Ranking
58

Research.com Recognitions

  • 2026 - Research.com Ecology and Evolution in United States Leader Award
  • 2025 - Research.com Best Female Scientists Award
  • 2013 - Ramon Margalef Prize in Ecology, Generalitat de Catalunya
  • 2012 - Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
  • 2012 - Fellow of the Ecological Society of America (ESA)
  • 2011 - US President's National Medal of Science "For contributions to the discovery and understanding of the dominant photosynthetic organisms in the ocean, promotion of the field of microbial oceanography, and influence on marine policy and management.", President Barack H. Obama in the East Room of the White House on February 1, 2013.
  • 2003 - Member of the National Academy of Sciences
  • 1997 - Fellow of John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
  • 1996 - Fellow of American Geophysical Union (AGU)
  • 1992 - Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Overview

Sallie W. Chisholm is affiliated with MIT in the United States and has contributed extensively to research in Environmental Science and Biochemistry, Genetics, and Molecular Biology. Their work spans several subfields, including Ecology, Molecular Biology, Oceanography, Pollution, and Environmental Engineering.

The scientist's research primarily focuses on topics such as Microbial Community Ecology and Physiology, Protist diversity and phylogeny, Marine and coastal ecosystems, Genomics and Phylogenetic Studies, Bacteriophages and microbial interactions, Wastewater Treatment and Nitrogen Removal, and Microbial Fuel Cells and Bioremediation.

Recent publications include:

  • Novel integrative elements and genomic plasticity in ocean ecosystems, 2023, Cell
  • Phosphonate production by marine microbes: Exploring new sources and potential function, 2022, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
  • Prochlorococcus extracellular vesicles: molecular composition and adsorption to diverse microbes, 2021, Environmental Microbiology
  • Genetic engineering of marine cyanophages reveals integration but not lysogeny in T7-like cyanophages, 2021, The ISME Journal
  • Siderophores as an iron source for picocyanobacteria in deep chlorophyll maximum layers of the oligotrophic ocean, 2022, The ISME Journal

Frequent coauthors of Sallie W. Chisholm include:

  • Allison Coe
  • Steven J. Biller
  • Aldo A. Arellano
  • Keven Dooley
  • Thomas Hackl

The most common venues for publication are:

  • bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
  • Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
  • The ISME Journal
  • Research Square (Research Square)
  • Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Awards received by this researcher include:

  • Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), 2012
  • US President's National Medal of Science, 2011, awarded for contributions to the discovery and understanding of dominant photosynthetic organisms in the ocean, promotion of microbial oceanography, and influence on marine policy and management
  • Member of the National Academy of Sciences, 2003
  • Fellow of John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, 1997
  • Fellow of American Geophysical Union (AGU), 1996
  • Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 1992

Best Publications

  • Combination of 16S rRNA-targeted oligonucleotide probes with flow cytometry for analyzing mixed microbial populations.

    R I Amann;B J Binder;R J Olson;S W Chisholm

  • Testing the iron hypothesis in ecosystems of the equatorial Pacific Ocean

    J. H. Martin;K. H. Coale;K. S. Johnson;K. S. Johnson;S. E. Fitzwater

  • Community Genomics Among Stratified Microbial Assemblages in the Ocean's Interior

    Edward F. DeLong;Christina M. Preston;Tracy Mincer;Virginia Rich

  • A novel free-living prochlorophyte abundant in the oceanic euphotic zone

    Sallie W. Chisholm;Robert J. Olson;Erik R. Zettler;Ralf Goericke

  • Genome divergence in two Prochlorococcus ecotypes reflects oceanic niche differentiation

    Gabrielle Rocap;Frank W. Larimer;Frank W. Larimer;Jane Lamerdin;Stephanie Malfatti

  • Niche partitioning among Prochlorococcus ecotypes along ocean-scale environmental gradients.

    Zackary I. Johnson;Erik R. Zinser;Allison Coe;Nathan P. McNulty

  • Emergent Biogeography of Microbial Communities in a Model Ocean

    Michael J. Follows;Stephanie Dutkiewicz;Scott Grant;Scott Grant;Sallie W. Chisholm

  • Microbial community gene expression in ocean surface waters

    Jorge Frias-Lopez;Yanmei Shi;Gene W. Tyson;Maureen L. Coleman

  • Physiology and molecular phylogeny of coexisting Prochlorococcus ecotypes

    Lisa R. Moore;Gabrielle Rocap;Gabrielle Rocap;Sallie W. Chisholm

  • The genome of a motile marine Synechococcus

    B. Palenik;B. Brahamsha;F. W. Larimer;F. W. Larimer;M. Land;M. Land

  • Comparative physiology of Synechococcus and Prochlorococcus: influence of light and temperature on growth, pigments, fluorescence and absorptive properties

    Lisa R. Moore;Ralf Goericke;Sallie W. Chisholm

  • PHYTOPLANKTON LIPIDS: INTERSPECIFIC DIFFERENCES AND EFFECTS OF NITRATE, SILICATE AND LIGHT‐DARK CYCLES1

    Neil S. Shifrin;Sallie W. Chisholm

  • Three Prochlorococcus cyanophage genomes: signature features and ecological interpretations.

    Matthew B Sullivan;Maureen L Coleman;Peter Weigele;Forest Rohwer

  • Cyanophages infecting the oceanic cyanobacterium Prochlorococcus

    Matthew B. Sullivan;John B. Waterbury;Sallie W. Chisholm

  • Utilization of different nitrogen sources by the marine cyanobacteria Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus

    Lisa R. Moore;Anton F. Post;Gabrielle Rocap;Sallie W. Chisholm

  • Transfer of photosynthesis genes to and from Prochlorococcus viruses

    Debbie Lindell;Matthew B. Sullivan;Zackary I. Johnson;Andrew C. Tolonen

  • Patterns and Implications of Gene Gain and Loss in the Evolution of Prochlorococcus

    Gregory C Kettler;Adam C Martiny;Katherine Huang;Jeremy Zucker

  • Single-cell genomics reveals hundreds of coexisting subpopulations in wild Prochlorococcus.

    Nadav Kashtan;Sara E. Roggensack;Sébastien Rodrigue;Sébastien Rodrigue;Jessie W. Thompson

  • Photosynthesis genes in marine viruses yield proteins during host infection

    Debbie Lindell;Jacob D. Jaffe;Jacob D. Jaffe;Zackary I. Johnson;Zackary I. Johnson;George M. Church

  • Prochlorococcus: the structure and function of collective diversity.

    Steven J. Biller;Paul M. Berube;Debbie Lindell;Sallie W. Chisholm

  • Resolution of Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus Ecotypes by Using 16S-23S Ribosomal DNA Internal Transcribed Spacer Sequences

    Gabrielle Rocap;Daniel L. Distel;John B. Waterbury;Sallie W. Chisholm

Frequent Co-Authors

Robert J. Olson
Robert J. Olson Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Matthew B. Sullivan
Matthew B. Sullivan The Ohio State University
John B. Waterbury
John B. Waterbury Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Adam C. Martiny
Adam C. Martiny University of California, Irvine
Zackary I. Johnson
Zackary I. Johnson Duke University
Ramunas Stepanauskas
Ramunas Stepanauskas Bigelow Laboratory For Ocean Sciences
Edward F. DeLong
Edward F. DeLong University of Hawaii at Manoa
Daniel Vaulot
Daniel Vaulot Station Biologique De Roscoff
George M. Church
George M. Church Harvard University

If you think any of the details on this page are incorrect, let us know.

Report an issue

We appreciate your kind effort to assist us to improve this page, it would be helpful providing us with as much detail as possible in the text box below:

Related Online Degrees & Career Pathways

Exploring Biology and Biochemistry can open doors to a range of allied healthcare and science careers. For students looking to enter the workforce quickly, there are online medical assistant programs that accept financial aid, making education more accessible and affordable. These programs are a great step for those seeking immediate hands-on experience in the medical field.

Medical assistants aiming to advance further should consider the ma to lpn bridge program online. This pathway is designed to help professionals upskill and qualify for higher-paying roles and expanded clinical responsibilities.

If you are interested in a more in-depth study of life sciences, there are several online biology programs tailored to different career goals, including research, education, and lab work. These flexible options make it easier to balance coursework with other commitments.

Nursing remains an in-demand career choice for science enthusiasts. By enrolling in an asn online program, you can fast-track your journey to becoming a registered nurse and gain strong foundational knowledge in health and human biology.

Best Scientists Citing Sallie W. Chisholm

Trending Scientists